Monday, October 15, 2012

New Release - Iridescent

I warned you all that October was going to be a busy month here are Omnific...we have another new release tomorrow!

The second book in Carol Oates' Ember Series, Iridescent will be available tomorrow. And Carol was so nice to share some of her very busy time with us to answer some questions about her new book!

Candra dreamed of saving the world one person at a time. She never expected to become an angelic weapon and the last hope in a battle against ultimate darkness.

Falling for a Nephilim wasn’t part of Sebastian’s plan. Distraction is something he can’t afford when his rival, Draven, wants what Sebastian has.

Lies, manipulation, and corruption are twisting the lives of the citizens of Acheron. The Arch is missing from heaven, and a demon is intent on claiming the city. At a time they should be growing closer, grief and paranoia are driving Candra and Sebastian apart.

Soon, Candra must face a terrible choice. If the price of restoring heaven is a human soul, who deserves to be saved?

So excited...and even more after reading what Carol had to tell us!

Omnific: Can you share a little bit about your writing process with us? Are you a planner/outliner or do you just write as it comes?

Carol: I’m a bit of both. I start with a plan, although I rarely stick to it, and tend to write long hand first. The scenes usually aren’t in order. I write as the story comes to me and change things as I go.The second draft is typed up with all the scenes in order and from there it’s re-write and revise several times over.

Omnific: What was your inspiration for your Ember Series?

Carol: You know, it’s so long since I starting writing it that it’s hard to remember where a singular spark of inspiration came from. I’m not religious but I’ve always had a deep interest in theology. The story of the fallen angels who fell in love with humanity is something that particularly interests me because it has come in so many forms over generations and through many civilizations. It’s not always referring to angels, but the
possibility of Alien life forms or beings from another dimension.

I don’t necessarily hold that the angels in Ember are angels as we know them from
stories or that heaven is the traditional heaven. Maybe it’s another dimension existing
alongside ours, where our essence passes to when we are no longer corporeal.They believe they are angels and they believe they came from a place called heaven and were created by a supreme being, but as Candra discovers in Iridescent, it may not necessarily be
that simple.

Omnific:So many authors have “soundtracks” that they wrote to, is this something that you used as a way to help you write?

Carol: It’s something I’ve done in the past but not so much on Iridescent. The characters
tackled so many difficult emotions and so often that I found it hard to concentrate with a soundtrack. I preferred absolute quite when I could find it. A couple of tracks that did resonate with me during the process but not while actually writing were Dante’s Prayer by Loreena Mckennitt andDivenire by Ludovico Einaudi.

Omnific: What is your favorite romantic scene in a movie? Would you have written it differently?

Carol: The scene from The Notebook when Ali is leaving Noah after they’ve briefly been reunited, and he’s asking her to think about what she really wants her future to be. To me, that is such an honest scene because Noah’s pain jumps off the screen.He doesn’t promise hearts, flowers and a happy life because real love isn’t like that. Real love can be painful, unpredictable, and lonely at times. It’s challenging and it’s hard work but the rewards can be amazing for two people willing to fight for it.

I tried hard to bring that sort of realistic love to Candra and Sebastian.

Omnific: Would you have cast that scene with different actors?

Carol: No, there isn’t anything I would change about that scene.

Omnific: Iridescent is the second in the series, will there be more? And I have to ask about one of my favorites, Shades of Atlantis?

Carol: Iridescent is finished in such a way that the characters appear to get what they deserve. However, should readers want more, there are another two books outlined. One follows on from Iridescent and another is a prequel. The prequel tells the story of Payne and Candra’s mother.

The first draft of Shades of Atlantis is finished and has been for a while. I plan to dive into revisions as soon as my current project is complete.

Check out the
amazing Iridescent trailer!!

Thanks so much for taking some time to share you story with us, Carol. Congratulations and wish you so much success!